What's A Fair Price To Clear Off A Roof Of Ice And Snow?

February 01, 2011|By ANNE M. HAMILTON, Special to The Courant, The Hartford Courant

All over the state, homeowners have been monitoring their roofs along with the weather report.

With more than 75 inches of snow hitting the ground so far this winter, and more snow and sleet forecast for Wednesday, the concern about leaks, caved-in roofs and ice dams is mounting.

So what's a fair price for a snow-free roof?

And how can you find someone to do the work?

Unfortunately, there are no clear answers. In Newington, an elderly homeowner paid $250 to have his roof cleared of snow by a few guys walking by his house, while in Berlin, a woman was taken aback to learn that a snow removal company wanted to charge $3,650 for her split-level ranch.

Linda Unzueta, in Las Vegas where the temperature was 56 degrees Tuesday, said she was concerned to learn that her father's roof-clearing bill in Newington was $250. The first estimate he had received was $300, but it was lowered when he agreed to pay cash. Although the price seemed high initially, she said she hadn't realized just how bad conditions in the state were.

Felicia Jordan, a homeowner in the Kensington section of Berlin, thought the quote she received for her 2,000-square-foot ranch — even when it was discounted to $2,650 — just seemed too high. "I'd like to find someone," she said, but by early Tuesday night, she still hadn't been able to find a roofer at an acceptable price.

Out in the snow and cold, almost anyone with roofing experience was busy. From a roof where he was busy shoveling, Dan McClintock, owner of McClintock Roofing in Windham, said he had called back all eight of his workers, who are typically laid off at this time of year. His practice is to charge by the hour, rather than provide estimates. His company, which charges $75 an hour to shovel, sends out two workers on every job as a safety precaution.

He said he had 75 names on his waiting list Monday night, and that even though many people had found alternatives by Tuesday morning, the list had not shrunk.

After Swapan Mukherjee of Newington paid $900 for three men to clear off his roof, he found someone who said he would have done it for $200. "I was really surprised by the price difference," he said, and wondered if he had been overcharged. After hearing the rates of other contractors, though, he said the $50 per hour that each worker received seemed fair.

In East Hartford, Dzen Residential Roofing had four crews out, with each worker charging $65 an hour. "We're booked seven days out," said owner Dean Pinto. He estimated that a typical home might cost $500 to $2,000, depending on the size and the amount of snow and ice.

Hiring a worker who knocks on your door might seem like the easiest — and cheapest — solution, but it isn't necessarily a wise one, said Richard Maloney, director of trade practices at the state Department of Consumer Protection. "I'm very worried the homeowner may be bilked by charlatans," he said. "It's always a good idea to enter into a written contract and make sure they are properly insured."

Any kind of roof work is dangerous, and the risks are compounded by the ice and snow, so besides having a workers' compensation insurance certificate, the worker should have liability insurance to protect the homeowner against damage that could be done to the roof.

Homeowners should check with their insurance carriers to see whether a worker on the roof would be covered in case of injury, but Gerard O'Sullivan, manager of the consumer affairs unit of the state Insurance Department, cautioned that many homeowner policies do not cover someone doing work for the owner.

"You'd be better off hiring someone with insurance," he said.

Robert Turner, of The Corey Turner Co., a general remodeling company in Glastonbury, said that demand for snow removal is so high that his business is taking only emergency calls, such as when there are leaks. His prices, based on roof size and roof lines, have ranged from $300 to $4,500, for a large home in Glastonbury that took four or five men several days to clear.

On Tuesday afternoon, sleet made the work too dangerous, and the workers had to quit early.